1. Technical Field:
The present invention relates to the field of computer software and, more particular, to management of devices, node, and/or expansion tower addresses within a data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art:
Many computers that are used as servers, such as, for example, as a server to host web pages, are multi-processor, multi-bus systems. These computers are capable of handling several tasks at once and performing each task very rapidly. These computers may also contain numerous input and output devices which are contained in input/output (I/O) drawers. Each I/O drawer may contain, for example, up to 14 PCI adapters to allow devices, such as, for example, CDROMS, disk drives, and network adapters, to be connected to the computer.
These I/O drawers are typically physically separated from the processors and memory components of the computer and are powered from a separate power supply. The I/O drawers and their components are connected to the main computer using varying types of cables, such as, for example, system power control network (SPCN) cables and remote input/output (RIO) network cables which allow the I/O devices contained within the I/O drawers to function with the remainder of the computer as if they were on the system bus even if these devices are up to approximately fifteen feet away from the main computer.
One problem with using two or more physical networks, such as the SPCN and RIO networks mentioned above, is that each network assigns its own unique address to each I/O drawer. This may not seem like a major problem on the surface, but, when an error occurs, it becomes difficult for a user to identify the correct drawer(s) and/or device(s) for replacement without physically checking the RIO network connection or the SPCN network connection. Since, many of computers of this type may contain hundreds of I/O devices, finding the offending drawer(s) and/or device(s) in this manner can become quite time consuming and tedious. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and system for synchronizing the two different physical network addresses such that the SPCN network and the RIO network use identical addresses to identify the same I/O drawer or node and also, the devices in that drawer.